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Justice News

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, September 27, 2013

Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Funding for School Resource Officers in Newtown, Conn.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will provide $150,000 in Fiscal Year 2013 funding to Newtown, Conn., to fund two positions to ensure school safety, such as school resource officers.

“This grant funding will help to offer critical support for law enforcement and essential services to the community as Newtown comes back from a heartbreaking tragedy,” said Attorney General Holder. “Just over nine months after the senseless mass shooting at Sandy Hook, we remain committed to providing every resource we can to ensure that the children of Newtown can feel safe and secure at school and elsewhere. And as we hold lost loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, we resolve to continue to support and protect this community – and to help them heal together.”

Today’s grant is just the latest assistance that the Justice Department has provided to Newtown. In August 2013, BJA provided $2.5 million in funding to the Connecticut State Police, the Newtown Police Department and their partner agencies that provided assistance in response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year. The funding compensated the agencies and jurisdictions for costs related to overtime, forensics and security in the aftermath of the crime.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is one of six components of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), which is headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason. OJP provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP’s six components include: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.